Asbestos use has been restricted and banned since the 1970s, so most people today know that it’s dangerous. There was a time in which this danger wasn’t fully understood and asbestos was used in tile flooring, insulation and many other products. But once workers began developing respiratory issues and mesothelioma, the use of asbestos dropped dramatically.
However, it still exists in many of the homes where it was initially installed. Someone with an original tile floor in their bathroom, for instance, could have asbestos fragments in those tiles. So how can they spot this risk when doing renovations or other home projects?
Multicolored fibers
Asbestos is made up of many small fibers. There are a few different types, which can be categorized by their structure and their color. Generally, asbestos is going to be white, brown or blue. It will be made up of long, thin fibers, and it may have strands that look like needles.
Knowing what to look for is important, but it’s also dangerous to try to identify asbestos visually. For one thing, once a person is close enough to identify the fibers, they’re at risk of inhaling them. This could lead to mesothelioma in the future.
Additionally, the actual particles that a person would inhale are microscopic. Asbestos just has the aforementioned color and structure when it is found in large amounts or clumps. But microscopic particles may be impossible for someone to see and could be present in the dust or air that they’re breathing, whether they know it or not.
What options do you have?
You may have developed a disease or a disorder, such as mesothelioma, after being exposed to asbestos. If so, you need to know about all of the legal options you have at this time.